Durdana Ansari OBE

Hon Captain Royal Navy

A motivational speaker and trainer, the gateway to Hon Capt Ansari’s life was founded in 1985, where she joined the BBC as a Presenter and from that day on she has never looked back. Bush House became her “temple” for over two decades, moving from BBC Urdu to the World Service’s English-language programmes, Meridian, Outlook and eventually The World Today. During this time she produced and presented major series and interviewed several key figures. She also started presenting on British-based Asian channels, interviewing numerous Bollywood stars, Heads of States and Politicians, as well as voicing many Ads for TV, Councils and Health Agencies. She became a household name in the UK as well as abroad as a broadcaster. In 2006, she was invited by a British MP who asked her if she would be willing to lead a charity project in the UK to educate British Asian Muslim women. The project was intended initially for 100 women from marginalised backgrounds, but by 2012 it had engaged more than 9,000 women at various centres, which taught them English lessons, IT skills and offered Cultural Activities; the project was a huge success. She received an OBE for her contribution to this work. On 1st April 2019 she was appointed as Lt cdr and in July 2021 she was promoted and honoured with the consent of Her Majesty the Queen to act as an Honorary  Captain for the Royal Navy. In 2020 Capt Ansari visited the Mariana Trench Expedition onboard the Merchant Vessel DSSV Pressure Drop, where she proudly carried the White Ensign on behalf of the Royal Navy and has been a valued associate of the Royal Naval School of Recruiting supporting the training of Recruiting Field Force personnel by sharing her vast knowledge and experience of Cultural Awareness to benefit them in the recruitment of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic personnel throughout the United Kingdom.